"Ace!!!
"I've come to save you!!!"
Luffy's deafening shout seemed to still echo in Du Yang's ears.
Meanwhile, the Marines were just as bewildered.
"It's Straw Hat Boy."
"What's going on? Not only is he here, but Knight of the Sea Jinbe, Crocodile, and the Revolutionary Army's officers all came falling from the sky!"
"These people all escaped from Impel Down."
"Unbelievable. They actually escaped from that place. If I remember right, the only person who ever managed that before was Golden Lion."
The Marines found it hard to accept what they were seeing.
Luffy, along with Crocodile, Queen Ivankov, Jinbe... These prisoners who should have been in Impel Down had now descended onto the battlefield that was about to become the focus of the world, in a manner so shocking it left everyone stunned.
Du Yang gazed into the distance. At the far end of the bay stood a massive Execution Platform. A figure wearing a hat with his head bowed was barely visible atop it. That was Fire Fist Ace.
Arrayed before the Execution Platform were countless Marines, their ranks orderly and their presence suffocating.
Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Garp.
Below them stood the Giant Vice Admiral, Onigumo, Doberman, and the other Marine officers, their eyes sharp and their killing intent palpable.
Any one of these Marine commanders would have made pirates tremble.
On both sides of the bay stood the Shichibukai, each with a different appearance, but all radiating danger.
"Despot" Bartholomew Kuma, "Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo, "Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk, the "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock, and Gecko Moria all seemed to have noticed their arrival.
As the fighting began, none of these powerful figures on the Marine side seemed willing to make a move just yet.
The pirates on Whitebeard's side were no different.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford—the Summit War had begun.
At the sight of Straw Hat Boy and his group, the entire Marine formation erupted in a momentary commotion.
"Report! Identities confirmed: Straw Hat Boy Luffy, former Shichibukai Crocodile, Revolutionary Army officer Ivankov, Jinbe, and a large number of Impel Down escapees!" The messenger's voice trembled with disbelief.
Below the Execution Platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face darkened. "Garp, your family's caused trouble for us again."
Though he said that, he had already planned to play along when he encountered Luffy.
Vice Admiral Garp clenched his fists, his heart twisted with conflicting emotions. As he watched Luffy, he felt both worried and angry.
In the end, all he could manage was a heavy sigh. "Luffy..."
In the Admirals' seats, Akainu's expression remained impassive, but his gaze was icy. "Impel Down actually let these criminals out. Looks like we'll have to settle this once and for all."
Aokiji rested his chin in his hand, looking somewhat surprised. "My, my. This has turned into quite a spectacle."
Kizaru tilted his mouth to one side and spoke in his distinctive drawl. "How scary~ They fell right out of the sky..."
Many of the Marines were also discussing Luffy. "That's the Straw Hat Boy who wreaked havoc at Enies Lobby and Impel Down!"
"How did he end up mixed up with Crocodile?"
"This is getting even more complicated!"
Aboard the Moby Dick, the World's Strongest Man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, wore a grave expression. But the moment he saw Luffy, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
"Gu la la la la..." Whitebeard's deep, hearty laughter rang out. "What a remarkable brat."
"Pops, that's the younger brother Ace talks about all the time!" Marco's voice was filled with excitement.
"Oh, Ace's little brother." Diamond Jozu and the others perked up as well.
For the Whitebeard Pirates and their allied crews, trapped on the outskirts and struggling to break through the Marines' blockade, the arrival of Luffy and the others was a boon—especially since they had landed right inside the bay.
"Brothers, our chance has come!"
"Back up Straw Hat Boy and charge in to save Ace!"
The pirates' morale soared. Luffy's arrival had brought chaos, but it had also given them an opportunity.
On the other side, Doflamingo's smile grew even brighter and more twisted. "Fufufufufu, this keeps getting more interesting. Straw Hat Boy, you always bring surprises."
Mihawk's hawklike eyes opened slightly, his sharp gaze locking directly onto Luffy. "You've appeared in such a conspicuous manner once again, boy from the East Blue. What kind of fate is woven around you?"
Hancock clasped her hands to her chest, her cheeks flushed as she became completely lost in her own world. "Luffy, you're finally here. I knew you would come. Whatever you do, you're simply irresistible."
Kuma remained silent, quietly turning the pages of the Bible in his hands. No one seemed to know what he was thinking.
Moria, on the other hand, looked furious. Every one of those injuries had been inflicted by Straw Hat Boy.
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Luffy stood at the bow of a battered warship, paying no attention to the formidable force behind him—an assemblage that would have left any other powerhouse breathless.
His gaze pierced through the distance, fixed firmly on the familiar figure atop the Execution Platform.
Seeing so many eyes focused on them, Captain Buggy seemed to have been scared half to death. He had never imagined things would come to this.
Du Yang and the pirates who had escaped from Impel Down had been swept right into the heart of this era's maelstrom.
Next, as in the original story of One Piece, Crocodile started making trouble.
Jinbe and Ivankov only looked away for a moment, and Crocodile turned into flying sand and launched a sudden attack right in front of the Four Emperors' Whitebeard.
Many of Whitebeard's pirates hurried back to defend him.
Who knew whether Crocodile had some great grudge against Whitebeard? The moment he saw him, he launched a sneak attack, thrusting his poison-laced golden hook at the Emperor.
Crocodile seemed genuinely intent on killing him. "Whitebeard, I'll be taking your life for now."
Whitebeard replied impassively, "You really are someone who never learns."
But Luffy had already activated Gear Second. With a single punch, he knocked Crocodile's golden hook away.
Crocodile immediately retreated and glanced at Straw Hat Boy, apparently not taking him seriously.
But Crocodile now seemed to know he had entered the realm of fifty-fifty odds. A mere former Shichibukai daring to assassinate an Emperor had sent his aura soaring to unimaginable heights, making him utterly fearless.
Still, despite not taking him seriously, Crocodile demanded:
"Now that we're here, our agreement should be void."
"Tell me, why did you step in to protect Whitebeard?"
Luffy brazenly answered that it was because Ace loved his old man Whitebeard.
As for Du Yang, he simply continued watching in silence as the increasingly gripping spectacle unfolded.
Before you continue